The new house
by MusicalTB2
Summary: The Tracy boys are finding it a little hard to sleep in their new island home, who helps them out? The eldest of course. I don't own these wonderful boys, but I love writing with them.


The first week of being in their island home had taken some getting used to, the storms that came were nothing like the ones they had seen back in Kansas and the layout of the buildings were like a maze.

Night one, was a night twelve-year-old Scott would never forget, boxes were still lying everywhere and no-one was settled, he had been trying to comfort his younger brothers all day who had been upset at having to leave their old home behind and the life they had shared with their mother, his father had told him to look after things whilst he was on a business trip to tie up loose ends and this was stressing the young boy out.

Another storm rolled in and Scott lay on his side wide awake listening to the thunder in the clouds and distant waves crashing against the shore, as he closed his eyes he heard a loud sob enter the room followed by a shake of the bed as the visitor dived under the covers in tears.

"Hey, Virgil calm down. Shh I'm here. It's only a storm," Scott held his younger brother closely, closing his eyes sympathetically as he felt Virgil shudder in his arms.

"I don't like this house, I want to go home back to Kansas," the ten year old wept as another clap of thunder rocked the room.

"We can't bro, this is our home now. And we're going to have loads of fun here, you'll see," Scott looked down at his brother nestled in his arms.

"Can I stay here tonight?"

Scott nodded, "Yes but you have to get used to your bed too, Virgil."

Virgil wriggled slightly and yawned, "Thanks Scotty."

Scott closed his eyes again when he heard his door open, he sighed and turned his head slightly towards the gap of light in the door, "John."

"I can't sleep."

"I thought you liked storms?"

"Not like this one, I'm scared of this one."

Scott sighed, "Come on."

John ran over and jumped, he landed on Virgil who yelled out in pain, "Oh sorry Virgil."

"John!"

Scott looked up at the ceiling, "You two come on, Virgil budge over so John can get under the covers."

Virgil moved across the bed and rested his head on Scott's chest smiling at John who was now lying on the pillow, his body tucked into Scott's side.

Gordon tiptoed into Scott's room and went over to the bed, he tapped Scott on the shoulder then jammed his thumb back into his mouth.

"What?"

"Scoddy? The thunder is keeping me awake," Gordon answered, refusing to remove his thumb from his mouth.

"Gordon, what have I said about the thumb in the mouth?" Scott whispered in a dark tone.

"Wot to do it," There was a small pop, "Can I sleep here?"

"As long as you don't disturb Virgil or John."

Gordon nodded, "Me? I wouldn't do that Scotty."

"All aboard then," Scott yawned, the early morning hours creeping into his sleep pattern. Gordon crawled under the duvet by Scott's feet and poked his head out by Virgil's arm, he began to snore immediately and Scott sighed as he fell asleep again.

Once the sun came through the windows the next morning, Scott awoke to find the covers basically off and his three younger brothers lying on top of him in a large pile, as much as he tried to be frustrated with them he couldn't help but grin and pull them all into a tight hug, John woke up and squeaked slightly which made Scott laugh.

"Thanks for letting me sleep here Scott, I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable in this house."

"Don't say that biscuit."

John hit Scott playfully, "Stop calling me a biscuit, I'm a human."

Scott ruffled John's hair, "Shhh, you'll wake the duo, let's get some breakfast huh?"

Gordon yawned, "Food?"

Scott sat up, "You hear anything to do with food don't you bro?"

"Not everything. Why am I in your bed?"

"You came in during the storm last night."

Gordon nodded, "Oh, bye then," he crawled out of the bed and left the room sucking his thumb again.

Scott shook his head, "I don't understand that boy."

John stretched and got out of the bed, "When is dad back?"

"I don't know John, but he'll be home soon ok?" Scott smiled as he stroked Virgil's hair rhythmically, "We'll be fine in this house, I promise."

John left the room to get his dressing gown leaving Scott alone with Virgil who was still sleeping like a cat.

Scott rocked side to side gently and Virgil murmured comfortably, in a young but tuneful voice Scott sang quietly, he continued to run a hand through his brother's hair and smiled as Virgil blinked sleepily.

"Scott?"

"Why oh why can't I..." Scott stopped singing, "Morning Virgil. Sleep well?"

Virgil nodded, "Once I came here yeah, that storm was really loud."

"I won't let a storm hurt you, ever," Scott squeezed his brother in a sheltering hug.

Virgil shuddered slightly, "I miss mum, this house is empty without her."

"She'll always be remembered Virgil, and we'll make this house full of her memories."

"And music," Virgil looked up with tearful eyes.

"Yes, the piano has been delivered and is behind dad's desk, so you'll always be near him," Scott brushed the tears off Virgil's cheeks.

Virgil slipped out of the bed, "I want to play it now."

Scott laughed, "Breakfast first ok?"

"Ok."

Grandma waited for the boys to enter the kitchen as she cooked some pancakes, "Morning boys."

Alan sat at the table drinking juice quietly, when Scott walked in he yelled in pleasure, "Scotty!"

Scott went round to his youngest brother and hugged him tightly, "Hey sprout, did you hear the thunder last night?"

Alan nodded, "Yeah, loud booms."

"We're you scared?"

"Nah ah!"

Gordon sat down next to Virgil who was buried in his fluffy green dressing gown, "No me neither Ali."

"You're such a liar Gordon," John scowled, "You were scared."

Grandma tutted, "Boys boys, eat your pancakes, then I want some help with unpacking."

Scott groaned, "Do we have to?"

Grandma frowned, "Don't take that tone with me sonny, you're helping in the lounge."

"I'll help you up there Scott," Virgil smiled.

"Gordon, you're going to help John with the kitchen down here with me," Grandma smirked.

"Yes Grandma," John folded up his pancake neatly and began cutting it with his fork, opposite him Gordon did the same but ate it with his fingers.

Virgil watched Scott cut his into pieces with the knife and copied him, "Can I play the piano as you unpack?"

Scott smiled, "Only if you open the boxes first, deal?"

"Yeah, deal."

Grandma sat down with her coffee and smiled round at her boys, they all looked so much like her son, although each of them had a part of their mother in them. Scott had her height and cheekbones, Virgil had the ebony hair Lucille had, John had her eye colour of bright turquoise, Gordon had her sense of humour and smile and Alan had her facial shape and young look, but, the youngest had lots of his dad's looks too.

Scott got up and cleared his and Virgil's plates away into the dishwasher, "Grandma? Are there any particular boxes you'd like us to unpack first?"

Grandma sighed as she thought of the day her daughter in law had been killed in the Avalanche disaster, she heard Scott slightly and brought herself out of the daydream, "Sorry sweetheart, what did you say?"

"I asked if there was a box you wanted unpacking first. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine Scott, no just open them all and see what you can put around the room."

Scott nodded, "Alright. Come on Virgil."

Virgil hurried up the stairs and down to the sunken seating area where boxes were lying around the table and floor, "Let's do the big one, get it out of the way."

"Sure," Scott knelt down beside the table and ripped the sellotape off the box, he folded back the lid and looked in, "Looks like shelf stuff to me."

Virgil took out a statue, "Wasn't this mum's?"

"Yeah I think so. Put it on dad's desk, it'll catch the light."

Virgil took the green statue over to the desk and placed it in the corner, he looked back at the piano and ran a hand along the black lid before approaching the stool, he sat down and his fingers hovered above the notes.

"Virgil, come on."

"Please Scott, one piece?"

Scott sat back on his heels, he knew Virgil was a gifted pianist even at ten, he wanted to say no but couldn't, "Alright, one piece then you're helping me with the rest of this ok?"

Virgil beamed, "Sure, I'll play your favourite one."

"Which one is that?"

"The one you're always humming, it goes," Virgil sat forward as he reached for the pedal and began to play Chopin's nocturne in E, "This one."

Scott nodded, "Yeah I love it, but isn't it a little sad for now?"

Virgil paused, "I guess so. Want something a little more upbeat?"

"If you know something."

Virgil began to play a little piece by Tchaikovsky and smiled as the melody flooded back into his memory, "this better Scott?"

Scott smiled back up at his brother at the piano, "Much."

Virgil grinned and turned back to the piece as his eldest brother unpacked more ornaments for shelves around the room, Scott went round to the bookcase behind the pool table and laid out some ornaments that had belonged to their mother, he smiled thoughtfully then went back to the piano, he squeezed Virgil's shoulder through his fluffy dressing gown then picked up a box to put on top of his dad's desk, Virgil watched him curiously and almost lost where he was in the music, he looked down slightly and accentuated the melody on the verse he had confused himself on, Scott smirked slightly as Virgil's slipper fell off from pedalling before taking some pillows down to the sofas.

"She sure owned a lot of stuff didn't she?"

Scott looked up at Virgil sorrowfully, "Yeah, but we'll look after it now won't we?"

Virgil nodded and his fingers slipped off the keys, "I don't want to play anymore today."

Scott watched Virgil's shoulders sink and he ran up the steps to the piano, he sat down on the stool next to his younger brother and pulled him into a hug, "Hey what's up?"

Virgil sniffed, "She was everything to me Scott, I wouldn't be a pianist if it wasn't for her."

"I know. Mum was your inspiration wasn't she?"

Virgil nodded then burst into tears, "I miss home, she's still alive there."

"Come here, I've got you. Shh, shh," Scott held his brother tightly, fighting against his own emotions, he had to be the strong one for his brothers now, with one hand he played some melodies in the top register of the piano as his other hand rubbed Virgil's shoulder, he nudged his brother's foot off the pedal and took over for him with a sigh, "I've got you now."

Virgil shuddered against Scott's chest, his tears soaking through the thin pyjama material to the skin, he rubbed his eyes then got his breath back as he watched Scott play for him, with a sigh he snuggled up closer and the eldest leant into him for comfort.

"Thanks Scott."

Scott smiled down at him and kissed the top of the black head, "Forever, I will never leave you. We've got to stick together now."

Virgil nodded, "Yeah, forever."

Scott played a pretty glissando up into the top octaves then brought his foot back from the pedal, "Let's carry on unpacking, otherwise, grandma will scold us."

That night Scott lay tossing and turning, someone was in his dream, someone he had never seen before. The man was threatening his dad and was saying he would make him crash in his rocket, the voice was sinister and strict as if an order was being placed, Scott's other brothers were no where in sight and he tried to fight the dream, he moaned slightly in a whimper and cried out as he brought himself out of the dream.

"Dad!"

A pair of feet came running down the hall and a hand slammed the light on, a man ran in with greying hair and wearing a suit like jacket, he approached the bed and held his shaking son.

"Scott? What's the matter, son?"

Scott panted, then seeing his father alive and in his room burst into tears and wrapped his arms around his neck, "Dad, I thought you had been taken by someone, I dreamt it," the twelve year old sobbed.

"I'm back from the conference and I'm not going anywhere for a while, your dad is staying to be a father for you boys."

Scott sniffed then sighed as he spotted the faint outline of John in the doorway, "Laugh then."

John's expression saddened, "I just came to see if you were ok."

"Don't snap at your brothers Scott, John, go back to bed. Scott will be ok."

"Ok dad."

Scott lay back against his pillow and ran a hand across his forehead, "When you were gone, the others didn't cope."

"How do you mean?"

"They couldn't sleep without being near me, Virgil had a breakdown at the piano whilst we were unpacking and well, I don't think any of us are settling into this house very well."

Jeff frowned and laid a hand on Scott's shoulder, "Maybe moving you out of your mum's house this early wasn't a good idea. I thought you boys would love this house."

"We do, it's just all our previous memories are there, this house is just so grand. What do we do with ourselves?"

Jeff smiled slightly, "I'm working on that, I'm going to get in touch with a few of my old colleagues and friends, I'm working on something big."

"Like what?" Scott dried his eyes.

"A business like no other," Jeff brushed a tear off Scott's cheek and smoothed his hair back.

"Will we be part of it?"

"Eventually, you're a little young at the moment. Scott, I'll always be here for you boys, don't take leadership when I'm away, that's too much on you."

Scott nodded as he gazed up into his father's grey-blue eyes, "I try not to, but they depend on me."

"Just be a brother, a loving brother. That's all I ask from you. Get some sleep my son."

"Night dad, good to have you back."

Jeff smiled as he ruffled Scott's hair, "I'm here for a few days. Goodnight."


End file.
